


The Iron Cat(s. And Dogs.)

by Sampika



Series: Of Cats and Catastrophies [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cats, Fluff, Gen, Halloween, Kinda, Post-Avengers (2012), Tony Stark is a cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-22 17:49:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12487404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sampika/pseuds/Sampika
Summary: Tony decides to make armor for his cat body. The world decides that it's exactly what they were looking for for their pets on Halloween.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Since Halloween is coming up, I decided I should make a little addition to the series for the holiday! I'm hoping to finish it up and have the last chapter posted on the 31st, but I may or may not finish it early. If anyone wants to offer some cute, funny ideas for this one, let me know in the comments!
> 
> These chapters are going to be pretty short (or at least this one is) because I don't have a ton of time to work on this and another thing I'm writing.

Why the idea hadn’t come to him sooner, Tony couldn’t know. Maybe he could blame it on being too preoccupied with figuring out how to get out of his cat body at the time. That was no excuse for _after_ all that had happened, but whatever. He’d thought of it now, and that was what mattered.

JARVIS twirled the hologram around above the display without being asked, allowing for a 360 degree view of his newest project. It wasn’t as protective as his normal armor, granted, but he probably wouldn’t need it for that, anyway. It was, however, flight capable - and had small compartments in the shoulders for at least a few weapons.

As long as his math was right - and it always is - the measurements should be exact, and the flight stabilizers’ strength not so powerful that it would knock him into next week when he performed the first test flight. “Alright, J,” he said aloud, “Let’s do this.”

“Production is starting, approximate time to finish is about three hours,” JARVIS replied, closing the holographic display. Tony smiled down at his feline alter ego, which he currently had curled into a ball on a small, overly extravagant custom cat bed so that it looked to be asleep. “If I may remind you, Ms. Potts is awaiting your arrival at the Maria Stark Foundation gala, Sir.”

“I’ll be right there. And when I get back, we’re going for a test run, so make sure that armor is ready by the time I get back.”

“You want it painted the usual color scheme, Sir?”

He glanced over at his calendar, and the Halloween themed picture of Iron Man fan art for the month of October. It brought a smirk to his face - Halloween was only a week away. “Why don’t we try a little black and orange this time?”

 

* * *

 

The gala had ended up going surprisingly well, and he _didn’t_ want to escape the entire time. Generous donations were made, the conversations he did have didn’t make him want to saw his ears off, and overall he left in a surprisingly good mood. Normally, at any sort of event, there was at least one thing that went wrong and ruined his night. But not tonight.

So when he got back to his lab, and saw what awaited him on the bench under DUM-E’s careful supervision, he was practically beaming.

Shining metal gleamed in the fluorescent LED lights. The armor was small, compact - but still aerodynamic. The helmet - with it’s faceplate painted a dazzling orange against the base coat of black - wasn’t his normal sloped mask. It had a sleek muzzle jutting from the front and sharp ears on top, angled backwards to allow for better flight. The eyes were cut into fierce triangles, giving the impression of a jaguar’s intense glare, rather than a house cat’s charming gaze. The sockets glowed with a purple light, rather than the usual arc-reactor blue. Nice touch, JARVIS, nice touch.

The armor came around the neck in segments, allowing for maximum mobility with minimal drag, and ending in a sharp point over the chest. Shoulder pauldrons attached to the metal that panned over the back, and hooked up to the separated gauntlets by a carbon fiber mesh with insulated wires hidden underneath.

Similar pieces matched for the hind legs, and the spine piece narrowed out into a stabilizer for the tail - also made of segments, allowing for it to be slightly more prehensile, and capable of being used as a weapon. For the parts he couldn’t cover with metal, Tony had used a mesh similar to the arm attachments, but reinforced with kevlar. He would have preferred the armor to cover the entire body, like his human armor, but feline anatomy didn’t allow for such measures.

The flight thrusters on the paws didn’t act as repulsors like the Iron Man armor, since maneuvering to use them effectively as a cat wouldn’t be nearly as coordinated, but he did have hidden flares and small missiles in the pauldrons and gauntlets.

On the shoulders, painted in black to stand out against the orange of the pauldrons, was a cat’s head, minimalistic in style - the only splash of color being purple eyes identical to the ones in the helmet.

It was time for a test flight.

Though, if he was directing all his attention to this, it would do no good to control his cat body through his human one. While surprisingly accurate, it was slightly clumsy with anything requiring a lot of focus. So Tony laid down on the couch, closed his eyes, and pressed the button on the device around his wrist. When he opened his eyes, he was looking through the eyes of Ghost. Tail flicking in anticipation, he lept from his cushion and sauntered over to the armor. JARVIS obligingly opened it up, and he stepped inside and let the metal close around him.

A HUD immediately lit up, and JARVIS’s voice sounded throughout the metal helmet. “Good evening, Sir. I am setting up the calibration for eye-signal communication now.” It was a new idea he’d had - a scanner that would be able to tell when he focused directly on something, based on eye movement. It would allow him to control the functions of his suit without words, and communicate with JARVIS using a rudimentary database of commands. His eyes found the option for “Let’s take her out,” lit up on the screen, and JARVIS quickly obliged.

A window was automatically opened, allowing him to step out into open air.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've made a sketch of Tony's cat armor, so you should definitely check it out if you want a visual! 
> 
> https://sta.sh/025i7n5ds7cx

At first, keeping his legs steady and the repulsors functioning normally didn’t _exactly_ work, and Tony ended up careening through the air until he made a crash landing on a rooftop three blocks away - but after that, he sort of got the hang of it, and it was smooth sailing from there. He just had to remember to keep his front legs pressed to his chest and his paws facing down for an upwards thrust, and his back legs held behind him like a bird with the paws facing behind him for a forwards thrust.

Small metal flaps along the sides of the tail emerged by unspoken command, allowing for precise steering, along with two small wings on the back. Smirking to himself, Tony shot into the sky, feeling the wind whip through the little bit of his fur left exposed by the suit. Buildings whizzed by in a blur, several with Halloween decorations adorning windows or set up on the rooftops.

Slowing to a stop, he hovered in the air to admire one particularly over-decorated roof - plastic skeletons were arranged in varying poses, some sitting in lawn chairs covered in fake spider webs and others dancing together inside a circle of tiny painted pumpkins. The rooftop entrance doorway was covered in fake spiders and ghost stickers.

“Sir, you appear to have an audience,” JARVIS told him, just as the bottom portion of his HUD flashed an alert. Peering down, Tony could see a small crowd of pedestrians on the street staring up at him, phones recording his spectacle or snapping photographs. Among the crowd, he spotted the vaguely familiar face of a particularly persistent news reporter, who had recently been more determined to get stories on him than Christine Everhart. No doubt there would be articles in the making by the time he got back to the tower, and he could imagine the headlines - Stark invents new cat armor, bringing pets into the battle?

Although, if they were stupid enough to believe an actual cat or dog could pilot a suit, who was he to care? Might as well give them something to tweet about on the internet. Grinning to himself - or as much as his cat body could grin - he zipped through the air above their heads, leaning up into a wild backflip that brought him close enough to nearly graze one man’s hat on his descent. Changing course, he flew straight up, spinning and twirling, letting his flight repulsors cut off every once in awhile to toss himself into a free fall, only to turn them back on moments before hitting a roof so that he could speed back into the air.

Performing aerial tricks could only go on for so long, however, so he eventually left behind their awed stares and clapping to fly back to the tower. The window he had set off from closed behind him as he reentered his lab. Leaving his armor behind in the corner, he shook his flattened down fur out until it poofed up, standing in all directions and making him look twice his size. A static shock stung his paw when he touched the couch.

Discharged, Tony leapt up and pressed the button on his human body’s bracelet. The switch left his mind buzzing for a moment, and then calmed. Sitting up, he extended his consciousness to Ghost, making the cat curl into a ball on the couch cushion he had just vacated to resume it’s sleeping facade.

“We already make the news?” He asked aloud, and JARVIS responded by turning on the television. On the screen, footage of himself flying in the Ghost Armor - and yes, he was keeping the name, so that he could call any situation that required it a “Ghost Protocol,” - followed by the reporter he had seen before talking into a microphone. Along the bottom of the screen, the headline, “Stark creates feline drone - does tricks to entertain masses” stood out in bold, capital letters. Tony scoffed at the title, but couldn’t keep the corner of his lip from quirking up in an amused grin.

"JARVIS, order my usual from the Italian place I like,” he said, getting to his feet and stretching as his stomach growled, “Have it sent up to the common room.”

“Would you like me to order for the rest of the team as well, Sir?” the AI asked, “They are currently all in the building, and Mr. Rogers is currently debating with Mr. Barton and Ms. Romanov about what they should get for dinner.”

“Sure, why not?” Tony made for the elevator, giving DUM-E a pat on his way past. He was sure to make Ghost follow him at reasonable pace.

The rest of the team had gathered in the common room by the time the elevator doors opened, and he stepped out to find them lounging about in the sitting area with the TV on. Bruce raised his eyebrows when he spotted him, tilting his head towards the television. Tony could see the news headline on the screen, and had to fight to contain his smirk. The questions would come any minute now, he was sure.

“Man, is that your cat? That can’t be your cat,” Barton spoke up first. “It’s gotta be a drone, right?”

“Of course it’s a drone, a cat can’t pilot the armor,” Natasha said, lightly hitting Clint with a pillow.

Tony dodged the question, if only to annoy the archer a little bit. “You guys give JARVIS your order yet? I’m hungry, I don’t want to have to wait.”

Clint opened his mouth to probably give him a sarcastic “yes,” but Bruce beat him to it. Tony sank into the couch to wait for his food, while simultaneously maneuvering Ghost to sit on the arm of Bruce’s chair. “Hi,” the doctor said, sounding more like a question as he glanced between Tony and the cat. Ghost nudged Bruce’s hand, so eventually he gave in and scratched behind his ears. “What have you done this time?” he said, voice lowered so that the others couldn’t hear it. Ghost merely stared up at him, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Really though,” Clint said again after a pause, watching the shaky recording on the TV, “Why cat armor?” The archer gave him a perplexed look, and although Natasha seemed uninterested, she glanced up to look at him as he answered.

“Why not?” He responded simply.

“I can’t believe you made armor for _your cat,_ ” Steve sighed, shaking his head. “Iron Man wasn’t enough?”

“But is it a drone? I bet it’s a drone,” Clint looked back at the screen, squinting at the image as if it would help him get a clearer view. Tony, wisely, didn’t answer either question, and instead went back to focusing more on controlling his feline counterpart. Ghost nudged Bruce’s chin, purring as the doctor stroked a hand through his fur. He couldn’t help but notice the amused smile on his friend’s face.

Eventually the news station moved on to the weather and more interesting stories, so the channel was switched to a Game of Thrones rerun.

“The food has been delivered, DUM-E and U are bringing it up now,” JARVIS informed them, a moment before a _ding_ from the elevator pulled their attention away from the television. A cardboard box was balanced precariously between the two bots’ claws, shaky as they moved into the room.

“Better get that before it ends up on the floor,” Tony commented from his spot on the couch, knowing how it ended nearly every time the bots tried to carry something together. Luckily, Steve leaped to the food’s rescue just in the nick of time, catching it right as the box toppled out of the bots’ grip.

The food was soon divided among the five of them, and they ate while watching reruns of old shows and occasionally tossing bits of food at each other in response to jokes and teasing. Ghost ate whatever landed on the floor, until Bruce started feeding him directly from his plate.

During a lull in the action, Tony brought up an idea he’d had to host a Halloween party, and they spent the rest of the evening planning it out.

 

* * *

 

It was barely 24 hours before the Ghost Armor was trending on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites. Videos and pictures were posted, edited to include music. His favorite was the compilation of his aerial tricks set to “In The Hall of the Mountain King,” which had quickly gained over ten thousand views overnight. Memes were made, though Tony wasn’t sure he understood most of them.

Tony _did_ have an official Facebook page and a Twitter, mainly used just for announcements about Stark Industries or other important stuff. He wasn’t really sure. Pepper dealt with it most of the time. The Halloween gala plans had been finished the night before, so Tony made a post to announce the party - taking place two days after the holiday, to avoid messing with people’s plans and any unpleasant leftover candy (or alcohol, depending on the age group) after effects that would linger about. Immediately following that, he posted a picture of Ghost, and then a picture of Ghost decked out in the armor he’d made, captioned “ready to fly.”

The internet promptly exploded, with new memes and posts and discussions every second. There were a few concerning animal safety, but they were quickly overshadowed by the rest of the population - who found the entire thing hilarious and adorable, apparently. Within hours, people were posting pictures of their cats in crude, hastily made costumes resembling the Ghost Armor.

The tag #IronPets quickly took over as people adapted the costumes for dogs as well. By the time two days had gone by, there were even pigs, lizards, hamsters, and even a horse with the costumes; though cats and dogs tended to dominate the tag. Another brilliant idea bloomed in Tony’s mind as JARVIS scrolled through the pictures, and within the hour, he’d made another post.

It announced a competition - a “Best Iron Pet” competition. Anyone could join, and the winner would be announced at the Halloween gala, livestreamed for those unable to make it to the party themselves. The winner got to see Ghost in person, both inside the armor and outside it, plus an autograph from Tony and a pawprint from Ghost.

It was impossible not to grin as the entries flowed in, tagged with #BestIronPetContest2012. Most of the cats looked completely and utterly pissed off at the costumes, one particular picture of an outraged calico sending him into a fit of wheezing laughs that left him on the floor trying to catch his breath.

The dogs seemed happy, putting up with the costumes to make their owners happy. There were pugs and poodles, german shepherds, huskies, retrievers, and so on; all of them dressed in similar cardboard or cloth outfits, in either the orange and black color scheme of the Ghost Armor or the original red and gold of the Iron Man armor.

This was one of the best ideas he’d ever had.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually surprised I finished this on time, since I was swamped with forensics homework, and had to read about 20 pages of Shakespeare. I feel accomplished! :'D
> 
> I wasn't sure how this chapter would play out entirely, so I ended up focusing on Peter Parker more than I thought I would towards the end, but that's okay because I love my spider son.
> 
> Also, to those who celebrate it, Happy Halloween! I wish you all loads of candy and a good time! :D

Halloween morning had come along, so Tony decided to set up a small party before the big event that would take place a few days later. The Avengers were gathered at the tower, along with Rhodey and Pepper and even Stephen Strange, when Thor showed up on top of the tower in a beam of rainbow lights. Tony scowled at the marks scorched into the roof, but had to admit that his timing was impeccable.

The better part of the day was spent relaxing, playing a very competitive game of Mario Kart that Tony may or may not have dragged on with rematches until he was certain he’d win, attempting to play Monopoly (who’s idea was it to play that game with him and Pepper, two fortune 500 CEOs? He thought it was Steve’s ill conceived idea, but it was hard to remember who brought it up), and just generally doing things outside of their normal routine of training and missions. At some point, Tony made them all help judge the contest entries for the Best Iron Pet contest, and they’d somehow managed to narrow down the collection of thousands of entries into a group of only a hundred or so, and then down to thirty finalists.

It was nearing sundown, after they’d all had a few too many drinks - except for Tony, he liked to think that he was drinking less nowadays - when Clint suggested drawing names out of a hat, and whoever’s name they got, they had to dress up in their “Avengers suit.” Bound to be another terrible idea, but somehow they’d all agreed anyways. Except Pepper, so maybe she wasn’t as drunk as he thought.

“This is going to end badly,” Natasha commented half heartedly as she tossed a folded strip of paper with her name on it into Steve’s helmet.

“What kind of Halloween spirit is that?” Clint asked, nudging her side with his elbow. Tony took the chance to slip in a second piece of paper.

Steve passed the helmet around to all of them, and soon each of their “superhero” names were piled together. He stirred the papers around with one hand, took one for himself, then held the helmet out for Clint to take one. The archer stuffed his hand in and pulled out a slip of paper. Unfolding it, he read out the name he’d gotten. “Captain America. Yes! I get to use the shield! Who’d you get, Steve?”

He unfolded the paper. “Thor. Does that mean Mjolnir will let me hold it?”

“Her,” Thor butted in, patting the hammer’s hilt, “And of course not. You must be worthy of her!”

“Don’t worry Cap, you can use one of those plastic replicas kids use,” Tony smirked, grabbing his own slip of paper from the helmet. The smirk quickly fell when he read the name. “Black Widow… Your suit won’t even fit me, will it? I guess that means I have to take another…” He reached for the helmet again, but Steve jerked it back.

“No take-backs!” Clint chimed, sniggering at Tony’s scowl. Well, he would show them - he could pull off any outfit!

Natasha pulled out the next name and read it aloud. “Hawkeye,” she looked to him, “Guess it’s good I also trained with a bow.”

“Yeah, but you weren’t as good as me,” Clint quipped back, dodging a poke aimed his way.

Thor grabbed the next paper, grinning wildly as he exclaimed, “Hulk! Do I get to smash things?” Pepper responded with a resounding “no” at the same time Tony said “yes.”

Stephen went next, frowning as he looked at the paper. “I got my own name,” he waved the paper around in emphasis, “Can I pick another?” Clint shook his head and repeated his no take-backs rule.

Bruce stepped up next, finding his paper to be labelled with Iron Man.

“You don’t just put on the suit, you gotta act the part too,” Tony grinned.

“What, like flirting with everyone?” Natasha asked, brows raised.

“Of course!” Tony replied, scooting over to Bruce and poking him in the shoulder as he added, “Get out of your shell, I’m sure there’s a ladykiller in there somewhere.”

“I’m really not…” Bruce said, cheeks turning bright red as he ran a hand through his hair and looked at anything _but_ the team.

“Ooh, _fine,_ ” Tony sighed. “If you won’t flirt with us, you can flirt with Ghost!” The cat was suddenly perched on Bruce’s shoulders, nudging the mop of curls on the doctor’s head.

“I am not flirting with a cat,” Bruce shot back, but brought a hand up to pet Ghost’s head anyway. Tony cast a hurt look his way when the rest of the team wasn’t looking.

“I guess that leaves me to be War Machine,” Rhodey said, but frowned when he looked into the helmet. “Why are there two names left?”

“Just pick one, honey bear,” Tony smirked, crossing his fingers behind his back. Pulling out a piece of paper, Rhodey shot him an incredulous look.

“Really? Ghost?” he asked, chuckling. “I refuse, that isn’t even possible.”

“Sure it is,” Natasha pointed out, “Just put on a headband with some ears and attach a tail to your pants.”

“No,” Rhodey replied, resolute.

A few minutes after that, the Avengers were heading to their rooms to swap suits. The Black Widow outfit was overall _way_ to snug, but somehow, he’d managed to fit into it. The boots had been too small, and he gave in quick knowing that he would never get them over his feet. As a replacement, he found an old pair of black combat boots and used those instead. Tony stood in front of a mirror, scrutinizing the low cut V-neck in the suit. His arc reactor was left partially uncovered, and glowed through the fabric on the front that _did_ cover it. Oh well, it would have to do. Not much he could do about that.

He was greeted by a shirtless Thor, haphazardly painted green, with his hair tied back into a loose bun and dressed in a pair of purple shorts; Natasha sporting Clint’s bow and outfit; Clint excitedly pretending to bash invisible enemies with Steve’s shield, while wearing the red, white, and blue getup; and Steve with a billowing red cape, and what he could only assume was a very well made Mjolnir replica. Bruce showed up a moment later in the Iron Man armor, and Rhodey in his usual War Machine armor. Stephen’s cloak was trying it’s best to do impressions of them.

Clint let out a low whistle when he caught sight of Tony in the Black Widow outfit, looking oddly surprised. “I didn’t think you’d actually do it.”

“You thought I wouldn’t look good in drag, didn’t you?” Tony asked, earning a half suppressed laugh from Clint and a snort from Natasha.

The others made a few more jokes about how tight fitting the suit was, but eventually they got used to it enough that they could all sit down to have JARVIS order them some food so they could eat dinner. Tony repeatedly kept dropping crumbs on himself - not his fault, the bread was way too crumbly - and consequently getting the crumbs down the inside of the suit. Natasha looked to be giving him a death glare every time he had to reach his hand in past the arc reactor to fetch them back, while the others (mostly Clint) just sniggered.

Halfway through their dinner, the Thor ended up declaring something along the lines of “That was delicious - Hulk smash!” before proceeding to slam his plate and mug onto the floor. Pepper decided after that that the “you must wear the costume all night” rule was to be disregarded, and ordered them to change back into normal clothes. Which was fine by Tony - he was certain that if he dropped one more crumb down his chest, Natasha would kill him in his sleep for defiling her suit.

Conversation moved on from battle techniques to lighter topics and friendly banter, leaving Tony somewhat bored, so he focused more on controlling Ghost than himself. He went around the table, nudging their legs and purring as he tried to get them to give him food. Not that he was hungry, but it was fun to guilt trip them with sad eyes.

Stephen rolled his eyes when he got to him, but picked him up and let him lay on the sofa between himself and Bruce. They took turns stroking his fur, and he was content to sit there all night - both talking in his human body and silent as a cat, one night of peace and fun in a world of aliens and monsters. But there was one other thing he wanted to do.

Withdrawing himself from the conversation was surprisingly easy, considering the fact that Natasha would usually call him out on it in any other occasion. But friendly banter wasn't the same as arguments or discussions, so maybe she just didn't notice this time. Which was ridiculous, Nat noticed everything, but maybe she just wasn't questioning it.

If anything was an excuse to get up and move, it was food. “I'm going to get some more snacks, you want anything?” he asked, half hoping that they'd give him an order large enough to warrant more than one trip to the kitchen. That way, it would be less likely they would notice him leaving early. Bruce and Stephen would probably notice, but he counted on them not to say anything.

As he’d expected, they requested more than an armful of food - Thor alone wanted five boxes of pop tarts, and Steve’s metabolism ate up food about as fast as a vacuum. Bruce requested animal crackers, and Nat and Clint settled for potato chips. Tony graciously brought them their food, then went back to the kitchen under the pretense of getting his own, careful to make sure Ghost trailed him all the way to the elevator.

The silence of his lab deeply contrasted the festive laughs upstairs. Seating himself on the couch, he pressed the button on his bracelet to switch back to Ghost’s body, then clambered into the armor still standing in the corner where he’d left it. Parties were great and all, but it was Halloween, and who could blame him for wanting to be out and about during the night?

JARVIS opened the window for him, and he was among the streets and cars within seconds of passing the threshold.

On the sidewalks, trick-or-treaters dressed as ghosts and witches and zombies meandered down the streets, waving buckets of candy around and flaunting their prizes to their friends. Some were dressed as Avengers themselves, and a group of small children in Iron Man masks or holding replicas of Steve's shield were sprinting alongside werewolves and ghouls.

Small jack-o-lanterns lit up doorways and windows of apartment buildings, and skeleton props laughed and sneered at passers bys, or danced to overused Halloween songs. Hovering in the air, he watched it all - the kids chaperoned by parents in lax or no costumes, the candy being passed from hand to hand, the cars irritably honking at people on crosswalks.

Tony hadn't ever had a proper Halloween during his childhood. Once or twice he would actually believe his father’s promises to go out trick-or-treating, but learned quickly that he would never follow through. Observation was all he had ever done on Halloween, staring out cold windows and knowing that he would always be isolated from the crowd. By the time he was old enough to go on his own, he was off to college, and the idea felt more like a child’s activity than anything else.

But maybe, he could get an idea of what it was like. Not as a kid, of course, but perhaps he could tag along with some groups. It wasn't uncommon for pets to accompany the kids, he had seen dogs dressed as ghosts or hamburgers already.

Flying down to the ground, he landed with a light thud in an alley and made for the main road on foot. A hiss drew his attention and he turned to see a stocky, orange tabby staring him down with his one good eye. The other was blinded by the scar across his face. Oh, _not you again._

Not this time, scar-face.

A flare from his shoulder pauldron made quick work of Scar, sending him fleeing under a dumpster for cover. Tony puffed up a little, proud. See who’s running now!

Getting back to the matter at hand, Tony sauntered out of the alley and onto a main street. On the ground, not many people noticed him - there were no cameras recording like there had been when he’d flown. Down here, has was just another pet in a replica costume. Two small children walked past, with one older man, probably their father, leading the group.

“Uncle Ben!” One boy called excitedly, “Can we go get ice cream after this? Pleeease?” The kid was dressed as Luke Skywalker, and the other boy next to him was dressed in a Darth Vader outfit. Tony decided to tag along behind them.

“What?” The man, Ben, said, grinning down at them, “Isn’t all this candy enough sweets for one night?”

“But the candy will be spread out over days,” Darth Vader pointed out, sounding hopeful.

“You know what, Ned, you’re right,” Ben said, smiling. “But ice cream is cold, and it’s already pretty chilly out. How about hot fudge instead?” The boys agreed in delight, skipping along the pavement towards the next door. Sometimes he wished he knew what it was like to be in their shoes, but for now, just seeing them happy was enough for him.

 

* * *

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” Tony said, looking between the people at the Halloween gala and the live stream cameras, “The winners of the Best Iron pet contest - Ben and Peter Parker!”

The crowd cheered as the photograph of their entry was projected on the wall. It was an old Border Collie, dressed in what looked to be the most accurate replica of the Ghost Armor he’d seen yet, right down to all of the compartments in the pauldrons and the retractable wings on the back. Next, a short video played that Peter and Ben had sent in of their suit in action, with the wings and tail flaps shooting out at the push of a button. A tiny, glowing purple disc on the chest looked nearly identical to the miniaturized arc reactor in the Ghost Armor, and the eyes glowed in the same color.

“Ben and Peter were unable to make it to the tower tonight, but I will arrange for them to meet with me and Ghost, and get their prize money. Also, last minute addition, I’ll be throwing in the newest model of the StarkPhone as well!”

The crowd cheered again as he said goodnight and walked off stage, retreating to a quieter room and taking out his phone to send the winners a congratulatory email. It was only then that he really looked at the profile picture - the Ben that won was the same Ben he’d seen on Halloween. A small child who must have been Peter was also in the frame, and he recognized him as the kid dressed as Luke Skywalker.

The next day, Peter and Ben came to the tower, with the dog on a leash and dressed in the replica armor. Tony made sure Ghost paid special attention to the kid, while handing Peter’s uncle the four thousand dollar check and two StarkPhones.

Tony gave them a demonstration of the Ghost Armor in action, and Peter showed off the capabilities of his replica. For a seven to eight year old kid, it was impressive.

“You know, kid, you could probably get a job here when you're older,” he said, examining the armor as the dog sniffed at Ghost’s twitching tail.

“Really?” Peter asked, awed.

“Sure thing. You've got the brains for it, kiddo.”


End file.
